127-423: Bette Midler ( / b ɛ t ˈ m ɪ d l ər / bet MID -lər ; born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received numerous accolades , including four Golden Globe Awards , three Grammy Awards , three Primetime Emmy Awards , two Tony Awards , and a Kennedy Center Honor , in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and
254-672: A British Academy Film Award . Born in Honolulu , Hawaii , Midler began her professional career in several off-off-Broadway plays, prior to her engagements in Fiddler on the Roof and Salvation on Broadway in the late 1960s. She came to prominence in 1970 when she began singing in the Continental Baths , a local gay bathhouse where she managed to build up a core following. Since 1970, Midler has released 14 studio albums as
381-569: A Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program in 1998. In 1985, Midler was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame . In 2021, she received the Kennedy Center Honors Medal . Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth " Bette " Davis ( / ˈ b ɛ t i / ; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of
508-601: A "vacation". However, in England, Davis signed a contract with British film production company Toplitz, to make the film I'll Take the Low Road in England with Maurice Chevalier for a $ 50,000 salary. On September 9, 1936, Warner Brothers filed a legal injunction against Davis in England which forbade her from appearing in film productions without their consent. While on a shopping spree in Paris, Davis publicly declared to
635-549: A 13-piece band. The show played its final performance on January 31, 2010, and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special in 2011. Also in 2008, another compilation album by Midler, Jackpot: The Best Bette , was released. It reached number 66 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and number six in the United Kingdom, where it was certified platinum for sales of over 300,000 copies. As her only film appearance that year, Midler had
762-771: A 1929 production by the Provincetown Players of Virgil Geddes ' play The Earth Between ; however, the production was postponed by a year. In 1929, Davis was chosen by Blanche Yurka to play Hedwig, the character she had seen Entwistle play in The Wild Duck . After performing in Philadelphia, Washington, and Boston, she made her Broadway debut in 1929 in Broken Dishes and followed it with Solid South . After appearing on Broadway in New York,
889-751: A Broad . She published the children's book The Tale of the Mandarin Duck in 2020, based on the 2018 story of a rare duck spotted in Central Park . She played Miriam Nessler, a retired teacher from New York, in HBO's Coastal Elites by Paul Rudnick . Midler received the Kennedy Center Honor for a lifetime of achievement in the performing arts, with the medallion ceremony held at the Library of Congress on December 4, 2021. She attended
1016-722: A Navy base in Hawaii as a painter, and also painted houses. Both parents were born in New Jersey. She was named after actress Bette Davis , although Davis pronounced her first name in two syllables (phonetically like "Betty") and Midler uses one syllable (phonetically like "bet"). She was raised in Aiea and attended Radford High School in Honolulu. She was voted "Most Talkative" in the 1961 school Hoss Election, and "Most Dramatic" in her senior year (class of 1963). Midler majored in drama at
1143-596: A New England innkeeper, and Vermont dentist's son. Davis and Farnsworth were married at Home Ranch, in Rimrock, Arizona , in December 1940, her second marriage. In January 1941, Davis became the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but antagonized the committee members with her brash manner and radical proposals. Davis rejected the idea of her being just "a figurehead only". Faced with
1270-453: A Tony (EGOT) , of which she has won all but the Oscar . Her wins include three Emmys, three Grammys, two Tonys, a Drama Desk Award , four Golden Globe Awards , and a National Board of Review Award . The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) has honored Midler twice with Academy Award nominations, for the following performances Both of the above performances also won her
1397-469: A boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts , where she met her future husband, Harmon O. Nelson, known as Ham. In 1926, a then 18-year-old Davis saw a production of Henrik Ibsen 's The Wild Duck with Blanche Yurka and Peg Entwistle . Davis later recalled, "The reason I wanted to go into theater was because of an actress named Peg Entwistle." Bette Davis interviewed with Eva Le Gallienne to be
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#17327834698201524-535: A children's play by day and an adult show by night. In October 1966, she joined the Broadway company of Fiddler on the Roof , playing the ensemble role of Rivka and understudying the oldest daughter Tzeitel. She assumed the role of Tzeitel in February 1967, and played the role until February 1970. After Fiddler , she joined the original cast of Salvation in 1969. In the summer of 1970, Midler began singing at
1651-464: A complete rut." Recalling the episode many years later, Davis remarked that Laughton's advice had influenced her throughout her career. By this time, Davis was Warner Bros.' most profitable star, and she was given the most important of their female leading roles. Her image was considered with more care; although she continued to play character roles, she was often filmed in close-ups that emphasized her distinctive eyes. All This, and Heaven Too (1940)
1778-515: A double album taken from concert performances in Cleveland, Ohio. Midler made her first motion picture in 1979, starring in the 1960s-era rock and roll tragedy The Rose , as a drug-addicted rock star modeled after Janis Joplin . That year, she also released her fifth studio album, Thighs and Whispers . Midler's first foray into disco was a commercial and critical failure and went on to be her all-time lowest charting album, peaking at No. 65 on
1905-585: A few lyrics later. In 1993, she starred with Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the Walt Disney Halloween comedy fantasy film , Hocus Pocus . Midler played the lead role of Winifred ‘Winnie’ Sanderson, the head witch and eldest of the fictional Sanderson Sisters; the sisters are a trio of convicted colonial -era witches who were executed by hanging during the Salem Witch Trials , and then magically brought back to life in
2032-741: A few songs tied into the comedy) called Mud Will Be Flung Tonight in 1985. Midler performed on USA for Africa 's 1985 fund-raising single " We Are the World ", and participated at the Live Aid event at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia. Also in 1985, she signed a multi-picture deal with the Walt Disney Studios , where she starred in a string of successful films produced by the studio's newly formed Touchstone Pictures division. She also produced them through her production banner, All Girl Productions with producing partner Bonnie Bruckheimer . She
2159-512: A five-year contract, and she remained with the studio for the next 18 years. Davis's first marriage was to Harmon Oscar Nelson on August 18, 1932, in Yuma, Arizona. Their marriage was scrutinized by the press; his $ 100 a week earnings ($ 1,885 in 2020 dollars) compared unfavorably with Davis's reported $ 1,000 a week income ($ 18,850). Davis addressed the issue in an interview, pointing out that many Hollywood wives earned more than their husbands, but
2286-415: A hit with Beaches , co-starring Barbara Hershey . The accompanying soundtrack remains Midler's all-time biggest selling disc, reaching No. 2 on Billboard ' s album chart and with U.S. sales of four million copies. It featured her biggest hit, " Wind Beneath My Wings ", which went to No. 1 on Billboard ' s Hot 100, achieved Platinum status, and won Midler her third Grammy Award – for Record of
2413-564: A long period of ill health, but she continued acting until shortly before her death from breast cancer, with more than 100 film, television, and theater roles to her credit. Ruth Elizabeth Davis, known from early childhood as "Betty", was born on April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the daughter of Harlow Morrell Davis (1885–1938), a law student from Augusta, Maine, and subsequently a patent attorney, and Ruth Augusta (née Favór; 1885–1961), from Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. Davis's younger sister
2540-868: A new 5-acre (20,000 m) public park on the Harlem River shore featuring specially designed educational facilities and the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse, the first community rowing facility to be built on the Harlem River in more than 100 years. The organization offers free in-school and after-school environmental education programming to students from high-poverty Title I schools. In 2001 after 9/11 , she established programs run by her foundation which help wounded service members and their families by providing them resources, including custom homes. One of these programs helps service members recovering from trauma, injury, and loss. Also, since
2667-451: A portrait photographer. The young Betty Davis later changed the spelling of her first name to Bette after Bette Fischer, a character in Honoré de Balzac 's La Cousine Bette . During their time in New York, Davis became a Girl Scout where she became a patrol leader. Her patrol won a competitive dress parade for Lou Hoover at Madison Square Garden. Davis attended Cushing Academy ,
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#17327834698202794-517: A salary disagreement, and bears no resemblance to the de Havilland legal case. In 1937, Davis starred with Humphrey Bogart in Marked Woman , a contemporary gangster drama inspired by the case of Lucky Luciano , and a film regarded as one of the most important in her early career. She was awarded the Volpi Cup at the 1937 Venice Film Festival for her performance. Davis's portrayal of
2921-461: A skull fracture he had suffered two weeks earlier having accidentally fallen down a flight of stairs. A finding of accidental death was reached. Highly distraught, Davis attempted to withdraw from her next film Mr. Skeffington (1944), but Jack Warner, who had halted production following Farnsworth's death, persuaded her to continue. Although she had gained a reputation for being forthright and demanding, her behavior during filming of Mr. Skeffington
3048-578: A small role in Diane English 's comedy film The Women , starring Meg Ryan , Annette Bening and Eva Mendes among others. An updated version of the George Cukor -directed 1939 film of the same name based on a 1936 play by Clare Boothe Luce , the film was widely panned by critics, who found it "...a toothless remake of the 1939 classic, lacking the charm, wit and compelling protagonists of
3175-439: A solo artist, selling over 30 million records worldwide, and has received four Gold, three Platinum, and three Multiplatinum albums by RIAA. Many of her songs became chart hits, including her renditions of " The Rose ", " Wind Beneath My Wings ", " Do You Want to Dance ", " Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy ", and " From a Distance ". She won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist , Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "The Rose", and Record of
3302-534: A spiteful, loud-mouthed, cruel and highly unpopular woman, whose mysterious death is investigated. Another critical fiasco, reviewers noted that the film "drowns itself in humor that never rises above sitcom level." After nearly three decades of erratic record sales, Midler was dropped from the Warner Music Group in 2001. Following a reported long-standing feud with Barry Manilow, the two joined forces after many years in 2003 to record Bette Midler Sings
3429-555: A strong-willed 1850s Southern belle in Jezebel (1938) won her a second Academy Award for Best Actress . This was the first of five consecutive years in which she received the Best Actress nomination. During production, Davis entered a relationship with director William Wyler . She later described him as the "love of my life", and said that making the film with him was "the time in my life of my most perfect happiness". The film
3556-525: A student at her 14th Street theater. However, she felt Davis was not serious enough to attend her school, and described her attitude as "insincere" and "frivolous". Davis auditioned for George Cukor 's stock theater company in Rochester, New York. Though he was not very impressed, he gave Davis her first paid acting assignment – a one-week stint playing the part of a chorus girl in the play Broadway . Ed Sikov sources Davis's first professional role to
3683-468: A successful cover of the classic swing tune originally introduced and popularized in 1941 by the Andrews Sisters , to whom Midler has repeatedly referred as her idols and inspiration, as far back as her first appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson . Midler told Carson in an interview that she always wanted to move like the sisters, and Patty Andrews remembered: "When I first heard
3810-492: A successful novelist. Davis felt that Hopkins tried to upstage her throughout the film. Director Vincent Sherman recalled the intense competition and animosity between the two actresses, and Davis often joked that she held back nothing in a scene in which she was required to shake Hopkins in a fit of anger. In August 1943, Davis' husband, Arthur Farnsworth, collapsed while walking along a Hollywood street and died two days later. An autopsy revealed that his fall had been caused by
3937-591: A supporting role in Frank Oz ' science fiction satire The Stepford Wives , a remake of the 1975 film of the same name also based on the Ira Levin novel . Also starring Nicole Kidman , Matthew Broderick , Christopher Walken and Glenn Close , Midler played Bobbie Markowitz, a writer and recovering alcoholic. The project underwent numerous production problems that occurred throughout its shooting schedule, with reports of problems on-set between director Oz and
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4064-623: A vulgar waitress in Of Human Bondage (1934). Contentiously, she was not among the three nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress that year, and she won it the following year for her performance in Dangerous (1935). In 1936, due to poor film offers, she attempted to free herself from her contract, and although she lost a well-publicized legal case, it marked the beginning of the most successful period of her career. Until
4191-488: A witch if she had lived two or three hundred years ago. She gives the curious feeling of being charged with power which can find no ordinary outlet". The New York Times hailed her as "becoming one of the most interesting of our screen actresses". She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the role, but commented that it was belated recognition for Of Human Bondage , calling the award a "consolation prize". For
4318-546: Is contacted by the flamboyant host of a local talk show, played by Midler, who introduces herself as her biological mother. Critical response to the film was mixed; whereas some critics praised the film for having strong performances, others felt the film was bogged down by a weak script and technical issues. Midler debuted her Vegas show titled Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on February 20, 2008. It comprised The Staggering Harlettes , 20 female dancers called The Caesar Salad Girls and
4445-673: Is horrible. He sold us out. He wants us all to be just like his state, West Virginia. Poor, illiterate and strung out." She later apologized for the remarks. Midler reprised her role as Winifred Sanderson in Hocus Pocus 2 for Disney+ in October 2022. In 2023, she starred in the comedy-drama film Sitting in Bars with Cake . Midler married artist Martin von Haselberg on December 16, 1984. The two have one daughter, actress Sophie von Haselberg , born on November 14, 1986. In 1991, Midler
4572-783: Is seen picking up trash along a stretch of highway she has adopted and causes car crashes for drivers who deliberately litter. In 1995, she carried the same idea to the east coast, adopting a section of the Long Island Expressway and Bronx River Parkway . Midler founded the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) in 1995, a non-profit organization with the goal of revitalizing neglected neighborhood parks in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods of New York City. These include Highbridge Park , Fort Washington Park , and Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan and Roberto Clemente State Park and Bridge Park in
4699-657: The Billboard album chart. Soon afterward, she began a world concert tour, with one of her shows in Pasadena being filmed and released as the concert film Divine Madness (1980). Her performance in The Rose earned her a nomination for Academy Award for Best Actress , a role for which she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress (Comedy or Musical). The film's acclaimed soundtrack album sold over two million copies in
4826-476: The Bronx . When the city planned in 1991 to auction 114 community gardens for commercial development, Midler led a coalition of green organizations to save them. NYRP took ownership of 60 of the most neglected plots. Since then, Midler and her organization have worked with local volunteers and community groups to ensure that these gardens are kept safe, clean and vibrant. In 2003, Midler opened Swindler Cove Park,
4953-465: The CBS sitcom Murphy Brown and was featured in the animated musical film Fantasia 2000 . Midler starred in her own sitcom in 2000, Bette , which featured Midler playing a version of herself, a divine celebrity who is adored by her fans. Airing on CBS , initial ratings were high, marking the best sitcom debut for the network in more than five years, but viewers percentage soon declined, resulting in
5080-683: The Continental Baths , a gay bathhouse in the basement of the Ansonia Hotel . During this time, she became close to her piano accompanist, Barry Manilow —also a regular performer at the Continental Baths—who produced her first album in 1972, The Divine Miss M . It was during her time at the Continental Baths that she built up a core following. In the late 1990s, during the release of her album Bathhouse Betty (1998), Midler commented on her time performing there, "Despite
5207-696: The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress , while the first also earned her a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role . Her other two Golden Globes were for Best New Female Star of the Year for The Rose and Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for Gypsy (1993). List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler American singer, songwriter, actress, author, and comedian Bette Midler has received many awards and award nominations for her work on both
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5334-711: The Hollywood Victory Committee and beyond. The Canteen offered food, dancing and entertainment for servicemen and was staffed by members of the entertainment industry. Davis served as Canteen president through the end of the war. In 1983, Davis received the Distinguished Civilian Service Medal from the Department of Defense for her work with the Hollywood Canteen. She appeared as herself in
5461-791: The Minskoff Theater . From 1975 to 1978, she also provided the voice of Woody the Spoon on the PBS educational series Vegetable Soup . In 1977, Midler's first television special, whose title, Ol' Red Hair is Back , was a takeoff on Frank Sinatra 's Ol' Blue Eyes Is Back , premiered, featuring guest stars Dustin Hoffman and Emmett Kelly . It went on to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Special – Comedy-Variety or Music. In 1977 she also released her first live album, Live at Last ,
5588-665: The Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame in June 2012, recognizing how she "captivated the world" with her "stylish presentation and unmistakable voice." The same year, she co-starred alongside Billy Crystal in the family film Parental Guidance , playing a couple of old school grandparents trying to adapt to their daughter's 21st-century parenting style. Despite generally negative reviews by critics, who felt
5715-586: The Shubert Theatre in April 2017. The show was her first leading role in a Broadway musical. Midler received the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. Bette Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, where her family was one of the few Jewish families in a mostly Asian neighborhood. Her mother, Ruth (née Schindel), was a seamstress and housewife, and her father, Fred Midler, worked at
5842-614: The University of Hawaii at Manoa but left after three semesters. She earned money in the 1966 film Hawaii as an extra , playing an uncredited seasick passenger named Miss David Buff. Midler relocated to New York City in the summer of 1965, using money from her work in the film Hawaii . She studied theatre at HB Studio under Uta Hagen . She landed her first professional onstage role in Tom Eyen 's off-off-Broadway plays in 1965, Miss Nefertiti Regrets and Cinderella Revisited ,
5969-478: The 1920 novel Stella Dallas by Olive Higgins Prouty , Midler portrayed a vulgar single mother living in Watertown, New York , who, determined to give her daughter all the opportunities she never had, ultimately makes a selfless sacrifice to ensure her happiness. The movie scored mediocre reviews, while Midler received her first Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress . She co-starred with Woody Allen in
6096-537: The 1990s by teenagers who recite a mysterious spell. Released to initially mixed reviews, through various outlets (such as strong DVD sales and annual record-breaking showings on 13 Nights of Halloween ), the film has achieved cult status over the years. In relation to Hocus Pocus , every year Midler hosts her annual Hulaween costume party, which benefits the New York Restoration Project. Her television work includes an Emmy-nominated version of
6223-541: The 1991 film Scenes from a Mall , again for Paul Mazursky. In the film, Allen's character reveals to his author wife Deborah, played by Midler, after years of a happy marriage, that he has had an affair, resulting in her request for divorce. The movie performed poorly, and received a mixed reception by critics. Midler fared somewhat better with her other 1991 project For the Boys , on which she reteamed with The Rose director Mark Rydell . A historical musical drama, it tells
6350-559: The 22-year-old Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930 to screen test for Universal Studios. She was inspired to pursue a career as a film actress after seeing Mary Pickford in Little Lord Fauntleroy . Davis and her mother traveled by train to Hollywood. She later recounted her surprise that no-one from the studio was there to meet her. In fact, a studio employee had waited for her, but left because he saw no-one who "looked like an actress". Davis failed her first screen test, but
6477-559: The American favorite of Japanese moviegoers—because to them, she "represented the admirable principle of sad self-sacrifice." In 1942, numerous Hollywood entertainment industry members joined forces to form the Hollywood Canteen . Davis and John Garfield were the driving force who were credited with organizing the canteen, along with the aid of 42 unions and guilds in the industry, plus thousands of celebrity volunteers from
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#17327834698206604-590: The Boys (1991) and Gypsy (1993), winning two additional Golden Globe Awards for these films and receiving a second Academy Award nomination for the former. In 2008, Midler signed a contract with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for a residency, Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On , which ended in 2010. She starred in the Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! , which began previews in March 2017 and premiered at
6731-500: The Rosemary Clooney Songbook . Now signed to Columbia Records , the album was an instant success, being certified gold by RIAA . One of the Clooney Songbook selections, "This Ole House", became Midler's first Christian radio single shipped by Rick Hendrix and his positive music movement. The album was nominated for a Grammy the following year. Throughout 2003 and 2004, Midler toured the United States in her new show, Kiss My Brass , to sell-out audiences. Also in 2004, she appeared in
6858-408: The United States alone, earning a Double Platinum certification. The single version of the title song, which Amanda McBroom had written and composed, held the No. 1 position on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart for five consecutive weeks and reached No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100. It earned Midler her first Gold single and won the Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female. Midler worked on
6985-466: The Woman , Warner Bros. was incurring excessive production costs because the film was being made in Technicolor , and the Technicolor cameras were rented. In late June, the studio put Davis on suspension for refusal to work, and replaced her in the film with Beverly Roberts . During negotiations with Warner Bros. regarding her salary and signing Davis for the female lead in Danton , Davis abruptly traveled to England with her husband, Harmon Nelson, on
7112-886: The Year for "Wind Beneath My Wings". Midler made her starring film debut with the musical drama The Rose (1979), which won her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical , as well as nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actress , the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress. She went on to star in numerous films, including Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Big Business (1988), Beaches (1988), Hocus Pocus (1993) and its sequel (2022), The First Wives Club (1996), The Stepford Wives (2004), Parental Guidance (2012), and The Addams Family (2019) and its sequel (2021). Midler also had starring roles in For
7239-429: The Year – at the 1990 telecast. Midler's 1990 cover of the Julie Gold song " From a Distance ", the first offering from her seventh studio album Some People's Lives (1990), topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts and achieved platinum status in the US. The same year, she starred along with Trini Alvarado as the title character in John Erman 's drama film Stella . The third feature film adaptation of
7366-442: The accounting firm Price Waterhouse. The next year, A Midsummer Night's Dream became the only film to win a write-in Oscar, for Best Cinematography . The next year, her performance as a down-and-out troubled actress in Dangerous (1935) received very good reviews, and landed Davis her first Best Actress nomination and win. E. Arnot Robertson wrote in Picture Post that, "I think Bette Davis would probably have been burned as
7493-410: The actors being rampant in the press. Oz later blamed Midler—who was amid recording her next album and rehearsing for her tour—for being under a lot of stress by other projects and making "the mistake of bringing her stress on the set." While the original book and film had tremendous cultural impact, the remake was marked by poor reviews by many critics, and a financial loss of approximately $ 40 million at
7620-473: The album No Frills , produced by Chuck Plotkin , who was best known for his work with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen . The album included three single releases: the ballad " All I Need to Know ", a cover of Detroit native Marshall Crenshaw 's " You're My Favorite Waste of Time "—which Midler fell in love with after flipping his 45 of " Someday Someway "—and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones ' " Beast of Burden ". She also released an all-comedy album (with
7747-401: The album garnered a Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2007. The same year, Midler returned to the big screen, appearing in Then She Found Me , Helen Hunt 's feature film directorial debut. Also starring Hunt along with Matthew Broderick and Colin Firth , the comedy-drama film tells the story of a 39-year-old Brooklyn elementary school teacher, who after years
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#17327834698207874-401: The animated film Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore . The film was a success, grossing $ 112 million worldwide. In November 2010, Midler released Memories of You , another compilation of lesser known tracks from her catalog. Midler was one of the producers of the Broadway production of the musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert , which opened in February 2011. Midler received
8001-490: The animated film version of The Addams Family released in October 2019. She reprised the role in the 2021 sequel The Addams Family 2 . Midler portrayed Bella Abzug in The Glorias , a 2020 biographical film revolving around the life of Gloria Steinem , directed by Julie Taymor . She also starred in the second season of The Politician after previously guest starring in the first. Midler has written several books, including The Saga of Baby Divine and A View from
8128-537: The author of Valley of the Dolls , and her battle with and subsequent death from breast cancer. The dramedy garnered largely negative reviews by critics, who dismissed it as "bland material [that] produces entirely forgettable comic performances." For her performance in the film, Midler received her second Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actress at the 21st ceremony. In Nick Gomez 's dark comedy Drowning Mona , Midler appeared along with Danny DeVito and Jamie Lee Curtis , playing title character Mona Dearly,
8255-505: The box office. Midler joined forces again with Manilow for another tribute album, Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook . Released in October 2005, the album sold 55,000 copies the first week of release, returned Midler to the top ten of US Billboard 200 , and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Midler released a new Christmas album titled Cool Yule in 2006, which featured a duet of Christmastime pop standards " Winter Wonderland "/" Let It Snow " with Johnny Mathis . Well-received,
8382-601: The character of Regina Giddens, a role originally played on Broadway by Tallulah Bankhead (Davis had portrayed in film a role initiated by Bankhead on the stage once before – in Dark Victory ). Wyler encouraged Davis to emulate Bankhead's interpretation of the role, but Davis wanted to make the role her own. She received another Academy Award nomination for her performance, and never worked with Wyler again. In 1943, Davis told an interviewer that she had molded her film career on her motto, "I love tragedy," and ironically, until Pearl Harbor , she had been recognized as
8509-430: The disapproval and resistance of the committee, Davis resigned, and was succeeded by her predecessor Walter Wanger . Davis starred in three movies in 1941, the first being The Great Lie , with George Brent. It was a refreshingly different role for Davis as she played a kind, sympathetic character. William Wyler directed Davis for the third time in Lillian Hellman 's The Little Foxes (1941), but they clashed over
8636-441: The early 1940s, several of Davis's film choices were influenced by the war, such as Watch on the Rhine (1943), by Lillian Hellman, and Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943), a lighthearted all-star musical cavalcade. Davis performed a novelty song, "They're Either Too Young or Too Old." Old Acquaintance (1943) reunited her with Miriam Hopkins in a story of two old friends who deal with the tensions created when one of them becomes
8763-450: The film Hollywood Canteen (1944), which used the canteen as the setting for a fictional story. Warner Bros. donated 40% of proceeds from the film to both the Hollywood Canteen and the Stage Door Canteen in Manhattan . Davis showed little interest for the role of repressed spinster Charlotte Vale in the drama film Now, Voyager (1942), until Hal Wallis advised her that female audiences needed romantic dramas to distract them from
8890-427: The film was "sweet but milquetoast", box office totals for the movie were higher than initially expected. Midler portrayed Hollywood super-agent Sue Mengers in the play I'll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers , dramatized by John Logan , opening April 24, 2013, at the Booth Theatre , her first time on Broadway in three decades. After the show's success in New York, recouping its initial $ 2.4 million investment,
9017-417: The first Gulf War she visits the USO and military bases to show her gratitude to service members by serving them meals just before deployment. Bette Midler pledged to match Pink with a donation of $ 500,000 to help Australia during the wildfires in 2020 . Midler has received numerous accolades throughout her career. She is one of few artists to have been nominated for an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and
9144-689: The first person to accrue ten Academy Award nominations (and one write-in) for acting, and was the first woman to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute . In 1999, Davis was placed second on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema . After appearing in Broadway plays, Davis moved to Hollywood in 1930, but her early films for Universal Studios were unsuccessful. She joined Warner Bros. in 1932 and had her critical breakthrough playing
9271-582: The gala performance at the Kennedy Center the following day. Later that month, Midler came under fire when criticizing Joe Manchin for not supporting Joe Biden's Build Back Better Plan . While criticizing Manchin, Midler also criticized the State of West Virginia with a tweet where Midler stated, "What #JoeManchin, who represents a population smaller than Brooklyn, has done to the rest of America, who wants to move forward, not backward, like his state,
9398-459: The greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic, sardonic characters and was known for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, although her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas . She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, was
9525-452: The horrors of egocentricity on a marathonic scale". Despite these reviews, Mr. Skeffington was another box-office hit and earned Davis another Academy Award nomination. In 1945, Davis married artist William Grant Sherry, her third husband, who also worked as a masseur. She had been drawn to him because he claimed he had never heard of her and so was not intimidated by her. The same year, Davis made The Corn Is Green (1945), based on
9652-605: The introduction on the radio, I thought it was our old record. When Bette opened at the Amphitheater in Los Angeles, Maxene and I went backstage to see her. Her first words were, 'What else did you record? ' " During another Midler concert, Maxene went on stage and presented her with an honorary bugle. Bette recorded other Andrews Sisters hits, including "In the Mood" and "Lullaby of Broadway". Her self-titled follow-up album
9779-514: The late 1940s was redeemed with her role as a fading Broadway star in All About Eve (1950), which has often been cited as her best performance. She received Best Actress nominations for this film and for The Star (1952), but her career struggled over the rest of the decade. Her last nomination came for her role as the psychotic former child star Jane Hudson in the psychological horror film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962). In
9906-481: The late 1940s, she was one of American cinema's most celebrated leading ladies. She was praised for her role in Marked Woman (1937) and won a second Academy Award for her portrayal of a strong-willed 1850s southern belle in Jezebel (1938), the first of five consecutive years in which she received a Best Actress nomination; the others for Dark Victory (1939), The Letter (1940), The Little Foxes (1941), and Now, Voyager (1942). A period of decline in
10033-550: The latter stage of her career, Davis played character parts in films like Death on the Nile (1978) and shifted her focus to roles in television. She led the miniseries The Dark Secret of Harvest Home (1978), won an Emmy Award for Strangers: The Story of a Mother and Daughter (1979), and was nominated for her performances in White Mama (1980) and Little Gloria... Happy at Last (1982). Her last complete cinematic part
10160-551: The lead role in the musical comedy Sister Act in 1992, which instead went to Whoopi Goldberg . Midler won an Emmy Award in 1992 for her performance on the penultimate episode of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in May 1992, during which she sang an emotion-laden " One for My Baby (and One More for the Road) " to Johnny Carson . During the show, Midler began singing " Here's That Rainy Day ", Carson's favorite song; Carson joined in
10287-427: The length of time a studio contract could be legally enforceable, which at the time was seven years. In her later years, Davis would falsely claim in interviews that she set the path for de Havilland's legal victory; however, this is grossly inaccurate. Warners' 1936 injunction against Davis was due to her attempt to unlawfully breach her contract to work for another production company because she and Warners were having
10414-558: The marriage. After more than 20 film roles, she had her critical breakthrough playing the role of the vicious and slatternly Mildred Rogers in the RKO Radio production of Of Human Bondage (1934), a film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham 's novel. It earned Davis her first major critical acclaim, although, contentiously, she was not among the three nominees for the Academy Award for Best Actress that year. Many actresses feared playing unsympathetic characters, and several had refused
10541-437: The melodrama Housewife . When Davis was not nominated for an Academy Award for Of Human Bondage , The Hollywood Citizen News questioned the omission, and Norma Shearer , herself a nominee, joined a campaign to have Davis nominated. This prompted an announcement from the Academy president, Howard Estabrook , who said that under the circumstances, "any voter ... may write on the ballot his or her personal choice for
10668-567: The offer. Davis, on the other hand, did not want Flynn cast as Rhett Butler . Newcomer Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O'Hara, de Havilland landed a role as Melanie, and both of them were nominated for the Oscars, with Leigh winning. Jezebel marked the beginning of the most successful phase of Davis's career, and over the next few years, she was listed in the annual Quigley Poll of the Top Ten Money-Making Stars , which
10795-606: The original." Midler appeared on the Bravo TV show My Life on the D-List with Kathy Griffin in an episode that aired in June 2009. In December of the same year, she appeared in the Royal Variety Performance , an annual British charity event attended by Queen Elizabeth II . Midler performed " In My Life " and "Wind Beneath My Wings" as the closing act. In 2010, Midler voiced the character Kitty Galore in
10922-406: The play by Emlyn Williams . Davis played Miss Moffat, an English teacher who saves a young Welsh miner ( John Dall ) from a life in the coal pits by offering him education. The part had been played in the theater by Ethel Barrymore (who was 61 at the play's premiere), but Warner Bros. felt that the film version should depict the character as a younger woman. Davis disagreed, and insisted on playing
11049-535: The play transferred to Los Angeles at the Geffen Playhouse. A December 2013 announcement cast Midler as actress Mae West in an HBO biopic written by Harvey Fierstein and directed by William Friedkin . (The project remains unproduced a decade later.) She performed at the 2014 Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre , singing " Wind Beneath My Wings " during the in memoriam tribute. In November
11176-488: The press that she intended to defy Warner Bros' legal injunction and make the film in England. On October 14, 1936, the British court held a hearing regarding the studio's injunction against Davis. Mr Justice Branson issued his decision on October 19, ruling in favor of Warner Bros. Justice Branson dismissed Davis's representative's claims that she was an "underpaid slave" held under a "life sentence", and ruled that Davis
11303-525: The reality of their lives. It became one of the better known of her "women's pictures". In one of the film's most imitated scenes, Paul Henreid lights two cigarettes as he stares into Davis's eyes, and passes one to her. Film reviewers complimented Davis on her performance, the National Board of Review commenting that she gave the film "a dignity not fully warranted by the script". She received her seventh Oscar nomination for Now, Voyager . During
11430-453: The rest of her life, Davis maintained that she gave the statue its familiar name of "Oscar" because its posterior resembled that of her husband, whose middle name was Oscar, although, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences officially makes reference to another story. In her next film, The Petrified Forest (1936), Davis co-starred with Leslie Howard and Humphrey Bogart . In
11557-506: The role of Muv in the 2017 film Freak Show . Midler continued in Hello, Dolly! through January 2018, then returned in July to close out the run of the successful revival. Midler performed the song " The Place Where Lost Things Go " from Mary Poppins Returns at the 91st Annual Academy Awards ceremony on February 24, 2019. Midler voiced the character of Grandmama, Gomez and Fester's mother, in
11684-581: The role, but Davis viewed it as an opportunity to show the range of her acting skills. Her co-star, Leslie Howard , was initially dismissive of her, but as filming progressed, his attitude changed, and he subsequently spoke highly of her abilities. The film's director, John Cromwell , allowed her relative freedom. "I let Bette have her head. I trusted her instincts." Davis insisted that she be portrayed realistically in her death scene, and said, "The last stages of consumption, poverty, and neglect are not pretty, and I intended to be convincing-looking." The film
11811-494: The same year, Midler released It's the Girls! through Warner Bros. Records, her 25th album. The album spans seven decades of famous girl groups, from 1930s trios The Boswell Sisters and The Andrews Sisters to 1990s R&B legends such as TLC and their single " Waterfalls ". She returned to the stage in the title role of Hello, Dolly! for the 2017 Broadway revival, earning her a Tony Award . In 2017, she also appeared in
11938-405: The screen and stage. During her musical career, Midler received fifteen Grammy Award nominations. In her first year, the artist won the trophy for Best New Artist . In 1981, she won the prize for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the song " The Rose ", and in 1990, the song " Wind Beneath My Wings " in her performance was recognized as Record of the Year . For her work in film, Midler
12065-478: The show and received a Golden Globe Award nomination the following year. Also in 2000, Midler made an uncredited cameo appearance in Nancy Meyers ' fantasy rom–com What Women Want , starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt . In the film, she portrayed a therapist who realizes that central character Nick, played by Gibson, is able to understand women's thoughts . Released to generally mixed reviews, it became
12192-467: The show's cancellation in early 2001. Midler openly griped about the show's demanding shooting schedule, while the show itself was also reportedly rocked by backstage turmoil, involving the replacement of co-star Kevin Dunn whose departure was attributed to his behind-the scenes bickering with Midler by the media. However, Midler, critically praised, was awarded a People's Choice Award for her performance in
12319-406: The situation proved difficult for Nelson, who refused to allow Davis to purchase a house until he could afford to pay for it himself. Nelson was able to enforce his wishes because, at the time, the husband had the management and control of the community property, which included the wife's earnings, and the wife could not obtain credit without her husband's consent. Davis had several abortions during
12446-519: The spring of 1936, Davis asked Warner Bros. to loan her out to RKO to make Mary of Scotland . Warner Bros. refused, and assigned Davis to two films that were written specifically for her: God's Country and the Woman , and Mountain Justice . However, as God's Country and the Woman was going into production, Davis refused to work, and demanded a salary increase on her contract with Warner Bros. At
12573-689: The stage musical Gypsy and a guest appearance as herself in Fran Drescher 's The Nanny . Midler appeared on Seinfeld in " The Understudy " episode, that show's sixth-season finale in May 1995. That same year, she had a supporting role in Get Shorty . Her 1997 HBO special Diva Las Vegas earned her a third Emmy Award, for Outstanding Performance in a Variety or Music Program. Midler's other 1990s films include The First Wives Club (1996). In 1997, Midler, along with her co-stars from The First Wives Club , Goldie Hawn and Diane Keaton ,
12700-401: The story of 1940s actress and singer Dixie Leonard, played by Midler, who teams up with Eddie Sparks, a famous performer, to entertain American troops. While the film received a mixed reception from critics, Midler earned rave reviews for her portrayal. The following year she was awarded her second Golden Globe and received her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Midler turned down
12827-589: The television film Gypsy (1993), Bette Midler in Concert: Diva Las Vegas (1998), the comedy series Murphy Brown (1998), Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On (2011), and The Politician (2020); winning three. Midler has also achieved success on stage, winning a 1974 Special Tony Award and a 2017 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in a Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! . In addition, Midler has held several concert tours, with Diva Las Vegas winning her
12954-685: The then-most successful film ever directed by a woman, taking in $ 183 million in the United States, and grossing upward of $ 370 million worldwide. The same year Midler starred in Isn't She Great and Drowning Mona . In Andrew Bergman 's Isn't She Great , a highly fictionalized account of the life and career of author Jacqueline Susann , she played alongside Nathan Lane and Stockard Channing , portraying Susann with her early struggles as an aspiring actress relentlessly hungry for fame, her relationship with press agent Irving Mansfield, her success as
13081-433: The time, Davis was earning $ 1,250 per week. Jack Warner offered Davis an increased salary of $ 2,250 per week, which Davis refused. Davis's agent, Mike Levee, said: "She's a very stubborn young lady. I asked her how much she wanted, and she said $ 3,500 a week, plus all radio rights and permission to make outside pictures. I told her, 'Whoa, that's too much!'" Meanwhile, due to Davis's refusal to continue with God's County and
13208-419: The troubled comedy project Jinxed! in 1981. However, during production, there was friction with co-star Ken Wahl and the film's director, Don Siegel . Released in 1982, the film was a major flop. Midler did not appear in any other films until 1986; however, she was an early choice for Miss Hannigan in the 1982 film Annie . During those four years, she concentrated on her music career and in 1983, released
13335-584: The way things turned out [with the AIDS crisis], I'm still proud of those days. I feel like I was at the forefront of the gay liberation movement, and I hope I did my part to help it move forward. So, I kind of wear the label of 'Bathhouse Betty' with pride." Midler starred in the first professional production of the Who 's rock opera Tommy in 1971, with director Richard Pearlman and the Seattle Opera . It
13462-403: The winners", thus allowing, for the only time in the Academy's history, the consideration of a candidate not officially nominated for an award. The uproar led, however, to a change in academy voting procedures the following year, wherein nominations were determined by votes from all eligible members of a particular branch, rather than by a smaller committee, with results independently tabulated by
13589-570: Was Barbara Harriet (1909–1979). In 1915, after Davis's parents separated, Davis and her sister Barbara attended a spartan boarding school named Crestalban in Lanesborough, Massachusetts , for three years. In the fall of 1921, her mother, Ruth Davis, moved to New York City, using her children's tuition money to enroll in the Clarence White School of Photography , with an apartment on 144th Street at Broadway. She then worked as
13716-546: Was a recipient of the Women in Film Crystal Award , which honors "outstanding women who, through their endurance and the excellence of their work, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry". In 1998, Midler released her ninth studio album, Bathhouse Betty , named after the nickname she was given for performing at bathhouses early in her career. In 1999, she appeared in an episode of
13843-506: Was a success, and Davis's characterization earned praise from critics, with Life writing that she gave "probably the best performance ever recorded on the screen by a U.S. actress". Davis anticipated that her reception would encourage Warner Bros. to cast her in more important roles, and was disappointed when Jack L. Warner refused to lend her to Columbia Studios to appear in It Happened One Night , and instead cast her in
13970-615: Was a success. This led to speculation in the press that she would be chosen to play Scarlett O'Hara , a similar character, in Gone with the Wind . Davis expressed her desire to play Scarlett, and while David O. Selznick was conducting a search for the actress to play the role, a radio poll named her as the audience favorite. Warner offered her services to Selznick as part of a deal that also included Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland , but Selznick did not consider Davis as suitable, and rejected
14097-641: Was an early sponsor of the Adopt-a-Highway , paying $ 2,000 a month for a crew to clean up a 2 miles (3.2 km) section of the Ventura Freeway in Burbank, California . Signs at both ends of the section read "Litter Removal Next 2 Miles, Bette Midler." The location was so prominent that it became fodder for her 1993 guest appearance on the Simpsons episode " Krusty Gets Kancelled ", where she
14224-582: Was arranged for Davis, for the 1931 film A House Divided . Hastily dressed in an ill-fitting costume with a low neckline, she was rebuffed by the film director William Wyler , who loudly commented to the assembled crew, "What do you think of these dames who show their chests and think they can get jobs?". Carl Laemmle , the head of Universal Studios, considered terminating Davis's employment, but cinematographer Karl Freund told him she had "lovely eyes" and would be suitable for Bad Sister (1931), in which she subsequently made her film debut. Her nervousness
14351-487: Was compiled from the votes of movie exhibitors throughout the U.S. for the stars who had generated the most revenue in their theaters over the previous year. In contrast to Davis's success, her husband Ham Nelson had failed to establish a career for himself, and their relationship faltered. In 1938, Nelson obtained evidence that Davis was engaged in a sexual relationship with Howard Hughes , and subsequently filed for divorce, citing Davis's "cruel and inhuman manner". Davis
14478-753: Was compounded when she overheard the chief of production, Carl Laemmle, Jr. , comment to another executive that she had "about as much sex appeal as Slim Summerville ", one of the film's male co-stars. The film was not a success, and her next role in Seed (1931) was too brief to attract attention. Universal Studios renewed her contract for three months, and she appeared in a small role in Waterloo Bridge (1931), before being lent to Columbia Pictures for The Menace , and to Capital Films for Hell's House (all 1932). After one year, and six unsuccessful films, Laemmle elected not to renew her contract. Davis
14605-612: Was during the run of Tommy that Midler first appeared on The Tonight Show . Midler released her debut album, The Divine Miss M, on Atlantic Records in December 1972. The album was co-produced by Barry Manilow, who was Bette's arranger and music conductor at the time. It reached Billboard's Top 10 and became a million-selling Platinum-certified album, earning Midler the 1973 Grammy Award for Best New Artist. It featured three hit singles—" Do You Wanna Dance? ", " Friends ", and " Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy "—the third of which became Midler's first No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit. "Bugle Boy" became
14732-736: Was emotional during the making of her next film, Dark Victory (1939), and considered abandoning it until the producer Hal B. Wallis convinced her to channel her despair into her acting. The film was among the high-grossing films of the year, and the role of Judith Traherne, a spirited heiress suffering from a malignant brain tumor, brought her an Academy Award nomination. In later years, Davis cited this performance as her personal favorite. Dark Victory featured Ronald Reagan and Humphrey Bogart in supporting roles. Davis appeared in three other box-office hits in 1939: The Old Maid with Miriam Hopkins , Juarez with Paul Muni , and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex with Errol Flynn. The last
14859-509: Was her first color film, and her only color film made during the height of her career. To play the elderly Elizabeth I of England , Davis shaved her hairline and eyebrows. During filming, Davis was visited on the set by the actor Charles Laughton . She commented that she had a "nerve" playing a woman in her 60s, to which Laughton replied: "Never not dare to hang yourself. That's the only way you grow in your profession. You must continually attempt things that you think are beyond you, or you get into
14986-436: Was in breach of her contract to Warner "for no discoverable reason except that she wanted more money". Davis was ordered to pay Warner Bros. $ 80,000 in restitution, and was also ordered to pay the studio's legal fees for filing the injunction in England. The British press offered little support to Davis, calling her overpaid and ungrateful. In 1943, actress Olivia de Havilland won a lawsuit against Warner Bros. regarding
15113-451: Was in the drama The Whales of August (1987). Davis was known for her forceful and intense style of acting and her physical transformations. She gained a reputation as a perfectionist who could be highly combative, and confrontations with studio executives, film directors, and co-stars were often reported. Her forthright manner, clipped vocal style, and ubiquitous cigarette contributed to a public persona which has often been imitated. Davis
15240-500: Was preparing to return to New York when actor George Arliss chose Davis for the lead female role in the Warner Bros. picture The Man Who Played God (1932). For the rest of her life, Davis credited him with helping her achieve her "break" in Hollywood. The Saturday Evening Post wrote, "She is not only beautiful, but she bubbles with charm", and compared her to Constance Bennett and Olive Borden . Warner Bros. signed her to
15367-556: Was released at the end of 1973. Again, the album was co-produced by Manilow. It reached Billboard's Top 10 and eventually sold close to a million copies in the United States alone. Midler returned to recording with the 1976 and 1977 albums, Songs for the New Depression and Broken Blossom . In 1974, she received a Special Tony Award for her contribution to Broadway, with Clams on the Half Shell Revue playing at
15494-466: Was said to be erratic and out of character. She alienated Vincent Sherman by refusing to film certain scenes and insisting that some sets be rebuilt. She improvised dialogue, which made the writer Julius Epstein rewrite scenes at her whim. Davis later explained her actions with the observation "When I was most unhappy, I lashed out rather than whined." Some reviewers criticized Davis for the excess of her performance; James Agee wrote that she "demonstrates
15621-587: Was subsequently cast by director Paul Mazursky in Down and Out in Beverly Hills , beginning a successful comedic acting career. She followed that role with several more Touchstone comedies, Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), and Big Business (1988). Later in 1988, Midler lent her voice to the animated character Georgette, a snobbish poodle, in Disney's Oliver & Company , and had
15748-424: Was the co-founder of the Hollywood Canteen , and was the first female president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Her career went through several periods of eclipse, and she admitted that her success had often been at the expense of her personal relationships. Married four times, she was once widowed and three times divorced, and raised her children as a single parent. Her final years were marred by
15875-455: Was the most financially successful film of Davis's career to that point. The Letter (1940) was considered "one of the best pictures of the year" by The Hollywood Reporter , and Davis won admiration for her portrayal of an adulterous killer, a role originated onstage by Katharine Cornell . During this time, she was in a relationship with her former co-star George Brent , who proposed marriage. Davis refused, as she had met Arthur Farnsworth,
16002-485: Was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in the drama film The Rose (1979) and the musical comedy-drama film For the Boys (1991); both of which won her a Golden Globe Award in the same category . Moving to television, Midler received Emmy nominations for her roles in Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair is Back (1978), The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1992),
16129-404: Was used in several screen tests for other actors. In a 1971 interview with Dick Cavett , she related the experience with the observation, "I was the most Yankee-est, most modest virgin who ever walked the earth. They laid me on a couch, and I tested fifteen men...They all had to lie on top of me and give me a passionate kiss. Oh, I thought I would die. Just thought I would die." A second test
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